tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Sun May 26 17:34:46 1996

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Re: Klingon writing tool

At 04:36 PM 5/26/96 -0700, you wrote:
>-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
>
>>Date: Thu, 23 May 1996 07:39:06 -0700
>>From: "David W. Schaefer" <[email protected]>
>
>Mind, I'm not saying the stylus theory doesn't make sense.  Actually,
>arguing the modern-typeface theory is *support* for styli, since the
>typeface we have now definitely does NOT look like it's stylus-derived.  I
>tend to prefer pen-drawn letters and theories involving them just because
>they're simpler.  I don't really know what the prehistory of Klingon
>writing was (of course I don't!); my argument is just that there's too
>little evidence to go on given the single typeface we have.  Even if it IS
>the only one and hasn't changed in 19,000 years (highly unlikely; look
>what's happened to Terran writing systems in under 10,000 years), we really
>have no way of knowing that.  Even the vaunted Klingon resistance to change
>doesn't wash.  If Klingons were so conservative, why are they fighting with
>disruptors and (innovation!) forged steel instead of clubs and rocks?  Much
>of the development of Terran writing systems was also functional.  Give a
>moderately intelligent mortal race a few thousand years; you can be sure
>practically everything will change beyond recognition.
>
>>Dave S.

Actually, I think the argument should be based upon the writing of Ancient
Egypt.  The "Main" system of writing was the traditional carved symbol which
looked like something, an owl, a hand, various body parts, animals, and some
symbolic items [ANKH].  The writing was carved or written with various
instruments but, in later times the "Hieroglyphics" became a bit of a bother
when writing things down on paper [well, papyrus].  The result was that a
couple of simplified writing systems were used for "Non-Ceromonial" writing.
The simplified systems did not replace the original system but, evolved
along side of it.  Looking at a document in one writing system the observer
might not even realize it was the same language.  Perhaps what has happened
in the Empire is the fancy script we see on ships and seals are the original
script which was preserved for Public instriptions until the development of
movable type and computers.  Have we ever seen a hand writen manuscript?  I
don't recall seeing one but, I can't always get the shows where I am and I
might have missed seeing or hearing about it.  Of course, anyone could draw
the fancier version of the language with a pencil [much as we could use old
english script when we write] but, we would only do so for something special. 

David Bibb
David Bibb [email protected]

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